Ttnderreamer



J. T. PHIPPS UNDERREAMER June 24, 1930.

Filed May 15, 1925V lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll l 4\\\\ATTORNEYS.

'June 24, 1930. J, T, PHlPPs 1,767,474

UNDERREAMER Filed May 15, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Jo/m Pfl/)0,05

31%@ a ATTORNEYS.

""/ l ::n r. f ,a 17

INVENTOR,

Fatented ,lune 24, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN T. PHIPPS, '0FHUNTINGTON PARK, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR T0 JOHN GRANT, 0F

LOS ANGELES,

CALIFORNIA.

UNDERREAMER This invention relates to underreamers for use in producingwell hole, as in deep oil well practice, such underreamers beingemployed to enlarge the hole beneath the casing to permit the loweringtherof. Such an underreamer ordinarily includes a body and lone or morecutters which is or are introduced Within the casing in contracted orcollapsed position, means being employed for suspending the cutter orcutters and causing same to move into projected or expanded condition orposition after being lowered beneath the casing or the shoe thereon.

The invention has for general objects t-heA provision of an improvedunderreamer which will be generally superior with respect toinexpensiveness and simplicity of construction, taken in conjunctionwith positiveness and eiiciency and reliability in action and service,and generally superior in efficiency and serviceability.

Particular objects of the invention consist in the provisionvof anunderreamer the cutters of which may be relatively large so as toproduce a relatively large or wide eut" on each reaming stroke, andwhich at the same time can be closely collapsed or contracted forlowering or raising within the casing.

A further particular object consists in the provision of an underreamerwhich is so assembled that the cutters'are substantially free fromliability of being lost in a hole. The cutter ways are so constructedthat a part of each is removable for removingthe cutter. Otherparticular objects consist in the strengthening of the underreamer andparticularly the cutter-ways, such ways being strongest at the zonethereof at which the cuttersl are in expanded or projected condition orposition.

In carrying out this in vention, and to obtain certain of the advantagesand objects above pointed out, I provide cutters and cutter-ways soarranged and-inter-related that'` the cutters are out of registration orVopposition when in contracted condition ,or position, thus permittingof collapsion or contraction within narrow limits, which is not possiblewhere, as usual, the cutters .when

vertical sectional view of 1 925. Serial No. 30,590.

collapsed are in opposition to each other. From such contractedpositions the cutters move when expanded into opposition with eachother.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in thenovel and useful provision, formation, construction, combination,association and inter-relation of parts, members and features, all ashereinafter described, shown in the drawings, and finally pointed out inclaims.

In the drawings: Y

Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a portion of'a wellhole at the bottom thereof, and of well casing to be lowered therein, anunderreamer constructed to embody'the invention being shown positionedwithin the casing and well hole with the 'cutters expanded and sodisposed as to enlarge the hole upon operation of the reamer;

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail view showing the underreamer or a portionthereof within the casing with the cutters in collapsed condition; j

Figure 3 is a top plan view of 011e of the cutters of the underreamer indetached position; l v

Figure 4 is an enlarged" detail inner face view of one of the reamercutters in detached position;

.Figure 5 is a detail sectional elevation of the underreamer body withthe cutters and suspension and'actuation means thereof removed;

Figure' 6 is a detail transverse sectional view taken upon the line 6 6,Figure 7, and looking in the direction of the' accompanying arrows ofthe underreamer body and of the cutters and cutter suspending andactuating rods and attendant features, showing the cutters in expandedor reaming positions;

`ligure 8 is an enlarged detail fragmentary part ofthe constructionshown in Figure 5;

Figure 9v is a detail transverse enlarged sectional view taken upon theline 9 9, Figure 5, showing in addition the reamer cutters n Figure inthe positions they assume when passing each other in proceeding eitherto expanded or collapsed condition;

10 is a view similar to Figure 7 showing, however, lapsed positionswithin the casing, a section of a fragment of which is likewise .s own;

Figure 11 isa side elevation of the underreamerin detached position,with the cutters in expanded condition, part of the housing being brokenaway to show internal arrangement;

Figure 12 is lan enlarged detail elevation, partly in section and partlybroken away, showing a removable portion of one of the cutter-waysFigure 13 is a side elevation of one of the cutters in detachedposition; and,

Flgure 14 is a side elevation of the detached portion of one of thecutter-ways shown in Figure 12.

Corresponding parts in all the figures are designated by the samereference characters.

Referring with particularity to the draw ings, I have shown at A anunderreamer body assembled and cooperating with which'are underreamercutters B and C. v The underreamer cuttersare mounted to operate inconnection with separate `ways a and b, in collapsmg and'expandingactions, and each of same 1s provided with separate preferably ilexlblesuspension and actuation means D, serving to move the cutters intoexpanded lpositions and conditions when the cutters are liberatedbeneath the casing, after the lowermg of the underreamer therein,whereupon the cutters assume the opposed opera/tive relation shown inFigure 1. E designates a joint or section of casing such as is loweredin oil wells, particularly in the standard method of welldrilling tocase oii' the well and prevent cave-in. G designates a bit at the lowerend of the body A, the same belng employed for developing and drillingthe well hole ahead of//the reaming operat1on, 1f that be desirable, orbeing used to .center the underreamer in the hole and cause 1t to moveaccurately in vertical reciprocatlon 1n the 'underreaming o eration. Itw1ll be understood that the na ure and type of such bit, or, in fact,its provision as part of or an adjunct of the underreamer is notessentlal to the main features' and advantages of the underreamer.

The underreamer body A,here shownas a one-plece member, though this isnot limitative on the invention, is reduced in transverse dimension,between its end portions, as at F, producing at that zone down-.thrustshoulders against which the cutters bear when 1n expanded condition, andbeneath such down-thrust shoulders F the body, is provided with the waysa and b, which are pro,y

vided above the bit G. Above the shoulders F the body is chambered out,as atff, to prothe cutters when in col-` spective cutter.

reamer body at the bottoms of the chambersY f, such springs at theirupper ends bearing against an adjusting nu-t or nuts 16 whereby thecompression of each spring may be varied to cause proper expandingaction of the re- TheA cahmbers f may be sealed off by closure plates 17which may be detachably secured in position or welded over the chambers,after the rods g and cutters and springs have been assembled; suchclosure plates, however, being somewhat shorter than the chambers towhich they are applied, leaving portions of said chambers at the topsthereof, to be sealed olf by removable closure plates 18 which aredetachably held in place by pins 19 passed through heads 19al at thetops of said plates and through the body of the underreamer at oppositewalls of the respective chambers. These plates 18 provide access to theupper portions of the chambers so that the tensions of the springs 15may be varied by manipulating the nuts 16, as desirable or necessary.

The rods g are movably accommodated y v the rods; this connection of therods with the cutters and their iiexibility allows free play of thecutters in tilting actions incident to expansion and collapsion.

.The cutters B and C have elongated bodies 23 provided at their lowerextremities with the usual cutting end and edge portions 23"l having atransverse curvature of suitable radius to ream out the well hole toproper form. Each-cutter diminishes in thickness toward its lowercuttingedge portion, and the major portion ffythe cutter is provided ateach side with a grooveor channel 24 ranging vertically'of ,thecutlereand having curved walls conforming to the formation of the ways aor b, each-'such groove or channel being likewise curved longitudinally,to conform to the vertical curvature of such Ways. These ways or eachset of ways a and Z) comprises oppositely disposed flanges 25, saidflanges being curved in the main, or made up of angularly-relatedportions, to cooperate with the longitudinal curvature of the channels24 of the cutters, which channels embrace said fianges. These flangesare thicker toward the topsv or upper portions thereof, as clearly shownin Figure .5, so as to resist out-thrust of the cutters when in reamingposition. The body portion A, at A between the sets of ways, resistsinthrust of the cutters and the upethrust of the cutters is impaited tothe down-thrust shoulders F upon the body. The ways a, referring nowparticularly to Figure 2, are provided adJacent their top portions withdownwardly and outwardly ranging zones, as at 26, against which theupper portions of the cutters bear when the cutters are in positions ofexpansion, so as to project the cutting edge portions 23a outwardly intoproper expansion. Beneath these portions 26 are substantially verticalzones 27, and beneath said zones 27 are zones of contraction, defined bycurved walls,`at 28,.'

so that the cutters uponcollapsing are permitted to tilt inwardly attheir lower ends relieving the cutter in the collapsing operation.Beneath these zones are further substantially vertical zones 29,. andthese merge into ,o sharply, inwardly and downwardly ranging zones 30,over which the cutter rides in its final collapsing action, in whichposition it is engaged in its side channels 24 with contracted andsubstantially vartical flange portions 3l,

shown particularly in Figure 5. 'lhe cutter B which cooperates with theways a is lower down position, as clearly shown in Figure 2, and inigure 10. .n

The ways b comprise outwardly and down wardly inclined upperterminalportions 32, directly beneath the respective shoulder F, beneathwhichare substantially vertical portions 33, these zonesA 32 and 33serving to provide the properv outward tilt of the cutter C when inexpanded condition.

o0 and marked collapsion of the cutter B, so. thatv portions of the sameare substantially one .over the other, vas best shown in Figure 10, suchextreme or marked collapsion being i111-4 possible to obtain where, asusual, the cutters f are isn/opposition to upon the body of theunderreamer than the cutter C when the latter is in collapsed I Beneaththe zones are abruptly inwardly and down-` wardly inclined zones 34 fromwhich the cuteach other when co1- lapsed. l/Vhen the cutters arecollapsed their cutting edge portions 23a lic within the figure of thebody of the underreamei, being inwardly-and downwardly directed andpocketed within pockets or cavities or chambers 36 and 37 within thebody, so that the cutting edge portions are directed away from thecasing through which the underreamer is being lowered or raised,preventing any interference with such operations. The cutters areprovided with upper and outer vriding shoulders 38 which are engagedwith the casing or shoe thereon to initiate thev collapsing action, andwhich are engaged at their extremities with the inner wall ofthe casingduring the raising or lowering of the underreamer. Obviously portions ofthe chambers 36 and 37 within which the cutters are housed intrudebeyond the vertical axis of the underreamer body, accommodating theclose collapsion of the cutters mentioned.

In each of the sets of ways a and b I provide at one side, or in one ofthe flanges 25, a 'detachable portion or section 25"L which isdovetailed as clearly shown in Figure 12 to be firmly fitted into asimilar dove-tailed formation in the body of the flange, and suchdetachable portion and the flange are riveted together, as at 25", afterthe respective cutter has been positioned in the respective ways, andconnected up with the respective springactuated rod, the upper endportion of which plays 'within the respective chamber f. The rivets 25bare preferably soft and can be readily punched out when 1t is desired toremQvel the respective cutter from its rod. The use of these detachableflange portions 25b permits of employing ways a and b which are closedat the bottom, as at 39, by downwardly Y curving portions of theintermediatebody portion or web A. This prevents loss of cut ters in thehole, which frequently occurs in the use of the usual open-mouthedcutter ways. Y

The operation and method of use of an underreamer constructed to embodythe invention will be readily understood from the foregoing description,vtaken in connection with the accompanying drawings and followingstatement: 4

With the parts assembled, as shown and described, the cutters are drawndownwardly into collapsed positions as shown in Figure 2, and introduced.within the casing at the mouth of the hole. The underreamer is thenlowered and when the cutters are successively liberated at the bottom ofthe casing, which is slightly raised above the bottom of the hole, theyare drawn upwardly into expanded condition by the spring-actuated rodsg, the two cutters rising into expanded positions, as shown in Figure 7.The underreamer is now vertically reciprocated with or without a str nof tools in the usual manner in standard rilling practice, chipping andcutting monly known as the shoulder, to enlarge the hole to permit thecasing to be further ters are in the collapsed conditions shown inlowered and drilling to proceed. When the underreaming operation as beensuiciently extended, the underreamer is` elevated until the ridingshoulders 38 are brou ht against the lower end of the casing or its soe, whereupon the cutters are held relatively station- A ary and thebody A continues to rise, until the.

cutter C is collapsed, whereupon it rises with the body and the cutter Bremains relatively stationary until collapsed, and when the cuta Figure10,` body and cutters all are elevated through and within the casing.

The invention' provides for extreme collapsion of llarge cutters withinsmall casing.

Such cutters could not be employed within six-inch casing if fittedwithin underreamers of Ordinar construction and would hardly collapsewithin eight-inch casing. But the provlsion for collapsing the cuttersout of opposition to each other or marked collapsing action of largecutters within small casing, and at the same time the body of the reameris unimpaired in strength of the intervening body wall or web A betweenthe cutters, it not requiring to be thinned down as is ordinarilynecessary to produce sujlicient collapsion when the cutters are oppositeeach other when contracted. As stated, the cutters cannot be lost in thehole but at the same time may be readily iput in position of service orremoved. The anges of the ways of the cutters are strongest and thickestadjacent the top portions thereof, 4where they have to resist out-thrustand sidethrust stresses when expanded.

Another advantage of this type of underreamer is that the usual subclosing the lower end of the body, and usually rovided in underreamers,to permit assem lage of same and attachment and detachment of cutters,is not necessitated or r uired, the lower end of the body being soli andprovided wlth the bit G ahead if the same be desired.

Many other changes will be encountered in.

practicing the invention, and it is likewise obvious that manyvariations and changes and modifications and-substitutions may be madein practicing the invention, in departure from the foregoing descriptionand disclosure of the drawings, without departing from the true spiritof the invention.

Having thus disclosed my invention, I

claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In an underreamer, abody, cutters movable lengthwise on said body, and means for causinglongitudinal movement of said cuti ters to cause collapsion andexpansion of the cutters in cooperation with the body; said'y cuttersbeing positioned out of opposition to each other when collapsed, andbeing posirmits of extreme Athe body being provided tioned in oppositionto each other when expanded.

2. In an underreamer, a body, cutters, and means for causing expansionand collapsion of the cutters in cooperation with the body; the bodybeing provided with cutter-accommodating pockets to receive the cutterswhen collapsed, there being a pocket for each cutter, said pockets beinin different zones of the body lengthwise t ereof and said cutters beinglocated in -the same zone when expanded.

3. In an underreamer, a body, cutters, and means for causing expansionand collapsion of the cutters, in cooperation with the body; thebodybein provlded 'with cutter-accomlknodatin poc ets to receive thecutters when collapse there being a pocket for each cutter, said ocketsbeing in different zones of the body engthwise thereof andin part oneover the other, said body supporting said cutters in opposition whenexpanded.

4. In an underreamer, a body, cutters, and

means for causing expansion and collapsion of the cutters in cooperationwith the body; the body being provided with cutter-accommodating pocketsto receive the cutters when collapsed there being a pocketfor eachcutter, said pockets being in dii'erent zones of the body lengthwisethereof and in part one over the other whereby one of the cutters inpart is disposed above the other cutter when the cutters are collapsed,said body supporting said cutters in opposition when expanded. t 10-0 5.In an underreamer, a body, cutters, and means for causing expansion andcollapsion of the cutters, in cooperation with the body; the body beingprovided with opposite ways. extendin lengthwise for the respectivecutters, sai ways having portions formed to produce tilting of thecutters into and out of collapsed Aand expanded condition, there beinglongitudinally spaced pockets on said body to receive said cutters incollapsed posino tion and portions to support said cutters 1n oppositionwhen expanded.

6. In an underreamerra body, cutters, and

means for causing expansion and collapsion of the cutters in cooperationwith the body, 1.15

with opposite ways for the respective cutters, said ways having portionsformed to produce tilting ofthe cutters into and out of collapsed andexpanded condition; the body between said ways 1'20 of the respectivecutters constituting a sinuous web of material thickness.

7 In an underreamer, a body, cutter ways thereon ranging lengthwisethereof and ranging inwardly and outwardly thereof and out of lateralalignment at separate portions thereof, and cutters cooperating withsaid ways for expansion in opposition and collapsion out of opposition'.

8. In an underreamer, a body, cutter ways thereon ranging lengthwisethereof and ranging inwardly and outwardly thereof and out of lateralalignment at separate portions thereof, and cutters cooperating withsaid ways 'for expansion inopposition and collapsion out of opposition,and yieldable means applied to the cutters in a manner tending to movethemV in one direction lengthwise of the body along the ways.

9. In an underreamer, a body, cutters, and means for causing expansionand collapsion of the cutters, in cooperation with the body; the bodybeing provided with cutter-accommodating recesses to receive the cutterswhen collapsed, there being a recess for each cutter, said recessesbeing in different zonesof the body lengthwise thereof, and said cuttersbeing movable lengthwise ofthe body to and from said recesses.

l0. In an underreamer, a vertically extending body, cutters movablevertically and horizontally'of the body between collapsed and expandedpositions, said cutters when in expanded position each bearing inwardlyagainst the body, the body being provided with vertically offset cutterreceiving recesses -into which the cutters are moved by their movementinto collapsed positions.

l1. In an underreamer, a vertically extending body, said body beingprovided with horizontally opposite, vertical cutter ways, there beingvertically offset cutter receiving recesses in said ways, and cuttersmovable longitudinally through the ways between vertically offsetpositons while in said way recesses and horizontally opposite positionsin said ways when out of said recesses.

12. In an underreamer, avertically eX- tending body, said body beingprovided with horizontally opposite, vertical cutter ways, there beingvertically offset cutter receiving recesses in said ways, and cuttersmovable longitudinally through the ways to and from positions in saidoilset recesses.

13. In an underreamer, a body, cutters, and means for causing expansionand collapsion of the cutters in cooperation with the body; the bodybeing provided with cutter accommodating recesses to receive thecutterswhen collapsed, there being a recess for each cutter, said recessesbeing in different zones of the body lengthwise thereof and said cuttersbeing movable longitudinally of the body to and from positions in therecesses.

In testimony wliereoffl have signed my name to this specification.

I VJoint T. PHIPPS.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1, 767, 474. l e lGranted .lune 24, 1930, to

JOHN T. PHIPPS.

It 'is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specificationof the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 5,after line 55,

' add the following as claim 14:

14; In an underreamer, a body, a pair`of cutters, each cutter beingindependently movable lengthwise on said body, and means for causing'longitudinal movement of said cutters to cause collapsion and expansionof A-the cutters in 'cooperation with the body, said cuttersbeingpositioned in opposition to each otherwhen expanded, and meansestablishing the extent of longitudinal movement of each cutter from itsexpanded to collapsed positionVsuch extent .of longitudinal movement ofone cutter being less than such extent of longitudinal movement of theother cutter.;

and that the said Leners Patent should be read with this correctiontherein um the same may cohforin t the record of the case in the PatentOffice. Signed and sealed' this 5th day of -August, A. D.- 1930.

Wm.y A.- Kimm,

A (Seal) l *l f Acting Conmissioner of Patents.

